My formal education began with an A.A. in Liberal Arts earned at University of Hawaii that emphasized biology and Marine Science. I then obtained a B.S. in Anthropology and minor in Great Basin & Hawaiian Archaeology completed at the University of California Riverside, 2000 and a M.A. and PhD in Public History and Resource Management,completed in 2005. My research and publications have emphasized Oral history, Ethnic Studies and Native American California History and my teaching emphasized Colonial American, Women and Comparative World History.

I worked as an adjunct professor of history at California State University, Fullerton, California, and Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California from 2005 until 2015.. I have been teaching history since 2002. I teach survey and upper division classes in United States, American, Native American, Women's and World history, Ancient Civilizations, and Historical writing and thinking. I focus on race, class and gender issues, the impacts of, and response to colonialism. Additional topics of interest and research also include immigration and public policy and compulsory education, primarily of indigenous peoples. These topics have led me full circle to refocus my efforts on curriculum that will lead to community healing and regeneration, or de-colonization.

While I taught four to nine classes a semester I also attend national and international conferences and continue to conduct research on the history of aboriginal peoples of America. My focus in Southern California through 2015 included Native American Women, Oral History, African American and Native American relations, and the history of Perris Indian School once located in Perris California and Sherman Indian School in Riverside, California.

Between 2010 and 2015 I served California State University Fullerton in a variety of ways. I sat on several committees, boards and councils on the campus and at the statewide level. I served as Chair and founder of the Lecturers council, an officer of the California Faculty Association board, and member of the Faculty Rights Committee. I also serve as the membership chair on the statewide board. I have fielded calls and correspondence from faculty and attended meetings addressing evaluation criteria, keeping current in the field, range elevation, department chair appointments, enfranchisement, workload and entitlement.  I have attended faculty rights meetings of the Faculty Rights Representation Committee and Faculty Affairs Committee to meet and confer on possible and pending faculty rights cases and to evaluate policies that affect faculty. For example I evaluated campus policies that address the evaluation of temporary faculty, the appointment of department chairs and vice chairs and faculty recruitment and appointment.  In all cases I participated in the discussions that led to revision. I also organized and conducted several faculty education workshops each semester.

With considerable experience in researching and teaching the history of aboriginal peoples of the Mainland of America I am now returning my focus to Hawai'i. My current and future research will focus primarily on the history of Hawaiian and Samoan communities in a way that may be applied and will promote cultural regeneration and preservation. I have returned to Hawai'i to continue my research and writing.

Curriculum Vitae